People (HR) Manager

Role Summary

• Responsibilities: Leading the effective delivery and continuous improvement of key People processes across the employee lifecycle for our UK and Asia-Pacific regions; proactively identifying and leading wider improvement initiatives; supporting and developing members of the People team, providing expert guidance on people management matters, and ensuring our processes remain compliant, efficient and scalable as Costello Medical continues to grow
• Salary: £50,000 to £55,000 per annum, depending on your previous experience, as well as profit share bonuses paid twice per year
• Benefits: Discretionary profit share bonuses paid twice per year, hybrid and flexible working options, generous holiday allowance, private medical insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, full funding for external training, and more
• Role Type: Full-time, permanent role
• Start Date: We are currently recruiting for start dates in late 2026, as well as January and February 2027, and you will be asked to state your availability on your application form
• Application Deadlines: Whilst there are no set application deadlines, we strongly recommend applying as early as possible. The role will close when a suitable candidate is found
• Location: This role is available in our Global Headquarters in Cambridge

About the Role

The People team plays a central role in the success of Costello Medical, helping to create a positive and supportive experience for colleagues throughout their careers with the company. This position offers an experienced People Manager the opportunity to join an organisation with an award-winning culture, build on strong foundations, and help us make an already exceptional employee experience even better.

As People Manager, you will be at the heart of this work, leading the consistent and effective delivery of key People processes while supporting the ongoing development of our People Advisors and Administrators. Working closely with the Head of People and other senior stakeholders, you will help shape and improve how we support colleagues throughout their employment journey.

This is a varied and impactful role, combining operational leadership, people management, process improvement and employee experience initiatives. You will oversee key People initiatives and processes across the employee lifecycle, from onboarding and performance reviews through to reward, visa sponsorship and offboarding. As a trusted point of contact across the business, you will ensure our People practices and advisory services remain compliant, efficient and aligned with the needs of a growing organisation, while driving innovation through technology, automation and AI.

You will also focus on proactive improvement initiatives that enhance the employee experience, strengthen our culture and ensure our People practices continue to evolve as the company grows. You will have the opportunity to introduce new ideas, lead meaningful projects and make a visible difference to colleagues across the organisation, alongside supporting wider company goals such as our ongoing commitment to our B Corp certification.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing and continuously improving People processes across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, promotions, performance reviews, reward processes, and offboarding
• Providing guidance and support on people management/employee relations matters and acting as the primary escalation point within the People team, with a particular focus on topics such as underperformance and absence; this will involve partnering directly with colleagues across the company, including senior stakeholders and line managers
• Monitoring the HR service provided to employees across the company, including via our People Shared Services, to ensure a high-quality, responsive service
• Line managing and developing members of the People team, supporting their wellbeing, development and performance
• Managing key HR activities across the year, including planning the team’s workload, allocating tasks/projects and balancing competing priorities across the team
• Managing our HR software/systems, including our HRIS and performance management system, ensuring effective usage and development, accuracy of employee records, and overall data integrity
• Leading and contributing to People-related projects and continuous improvement initiatives, including our B Corp certification, and other activities in support of our People Strategy
• Identifying opportunities to streamline, automate and enhance People processes through the effective use of technology and AI
• Ensuring People policies, procedures and documentation remain accurate, compliant and fit for purpose
• Monitoring employment legislation and HR best practice in the UK and Asia-Pacific, ensuring appropriate changes are implemented across the organisation
• Analysing People data and trends to identify and drive process improvements across the organisation

Hybrid Working Policy: We believe that having face-to-face time in the office holds many benefits and is central to ensuring that the community we have created, where people have a workplace they belong to and feel part of, is never lost. At the same time, we recognise that homeworking can improve work life balance, reduce commuting times and costs, and provide the opportunity to juggle personal commitments.

Therefore, we offer flexible working arrangements that allow our colleagues who have passed probation to work from home up to half their time, measured across a 2-week rolling period. During your probationary period (normally the first 6 months of the role), you will be able to work from home 1 day per week.

Career Profile

To learn more about the personal and professional development opportunities at Costello Medical, explore first-hand career profiles from our colleagues about their experiences with the company: https://www.costellomedical.com/careers/working-at-costello-medical/

About Costello Medical

Costello Medical is a rapidly growing global healthcare agency specialising in medical communications, market access, and health economic and outcomes research. We work with a wide range of clients, including the industry’s most successful pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, patient and public health bodies, and charitable organisations. We have been listed in the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list since 2017, the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work list in 2025, and were proud to receive B Corporation accreditation in 2022. We are also a certified Disability Confident and menopause friendly workplace. Learn more about us, our work, and our mission on our website: https://www.costellomedical.com/

About You

We are seeking an experienced People professional who combines strong operational expertise with a genuine passion for supporting people, improving processes and developing the employee experience. You enjoy building trusted working relationships across an organisation and are confident balancing day-to-day priorities with longer-term improvement initiatives and projects. You take pride in delivering high-quality work, maintaining attention to detail, and ensuring processes run smoothly.

You are also someone who embraces change and enjoys finding better ways of working. Whether through technology, automation, data analysis or process redesign, you are motivated by opportunities to make processes more efficient, scalable and effective. You are comfortable handling sensitive situations, providing sound judgement when navigating complex people matters and acting as a supportive leader for colleagues within your team.

Essential requirements for the role are:

• At least 3 years' experience in a People Manager, HR Manager, or similar role
• Proven experience managing HR processes across the employee lifecycle, including but not limited to onboarding, offboarding, salary reviews, bonus scheme administration, internal promotions and performance reviews
• Experience providing advice and guidance on people management/employee relations matters, as well as employment-related policies and procedures, partnering with colleagues across the business
• Experience leading projects or process improvement initiatives within a People or HR function
• Experience using HR systems, workflow automation tools, AI tools or data reporting platforms to improve operational efficiency
• Experience line managing and developing members of a People or HR team
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice, with the ability to translate requirements into practical, pragmatic advice
• Sound judgement, discretion, and experience handling confidential or sensitive information, alongside the ability to make appropriate and well-informed decisions
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to balance multiple competing deadlines and communicate your priorities effectively
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences
• Commercial awareness, including the ability to balance employee experience, operational needs, risk and broader company priorities
• A collaborative approach and the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels of an organisation
• An interest in using technology, automation and AI to improve ways of working
• The ability to analyse information and identify trends to support decision-making

Desired requirements for the role are:

• A Level 5 CIPD qualification or another relevant HR qualification
• Experience working within a fast-growing global organisation, with a particular focus on the UK and/or the Asia-Pacific region

What We Offer

Alongside our award-winning company culture, where every team member is celebrated, respected, and has their voice heard, we are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• A starting salary of £50,000 to £55,000 per annum, depending on your previous experience, as well as a discretionary profit share bonus paid twice per year. Please note that we have established salary bands to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank and public holidays, as well as a holiday buy and sell scheme
• Flexible working hours and the chance to work from home for up to half of your working time after passing probation
• Flexible benefits scheme offering cash payments, additional pension contributions and more
• Private Medical Insurance which offers comprehensive cover on a “medical history disregard” basis
• Paid study leave and funding for external qualifications
• Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection and Life Assurance
• Paid and unpaid sabbaticals based on length of service

Learn more about our full reward package and the other benefits of working for Costello Medical: https://www.costellomedical.com/careers/benefits-package-in-the-uk/

The Application Process

You are required to submit your CV and a cover letter via our online application form. In your cover letter, you must explain why you think you would be suited to the role and why you would like to join Costello Medical, with examples to support both. Your CV should clearly state the dates of all qualifications and grades achieved where applicable.

Our recruitment process includes an initial telephone interview with a member of the Talent Acquisition team. Following this, you will be invited to a final interview with senior members of our People team, which includes delivering a short presentation you can prepare for in advance. Please note that the successful candidate may be required to undergo security/background checks, and any employment offer will be conditional on the results of these. Our standard recruitment process typically lasts around 3-4 weeks, however, this can be adapted if necessary.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce and, throughout the recruitment process, there are a number of reasonable adjustments we can provide: https://www.costellomedical.com/reasonable-adjustments/

Please note that, whilst we embrace AI to innovate and improve processes, your role may involve working with confidential data that cannot be uploaded to AI. Therefore, it is important for us to assess your own skills and abilities, so we recommend that you do not rely solely on this technology to generate any application materials.

Visa Sponsorship

We can provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates for our People Manager role. You will be asked to provide details of your right to work in the UK within your application, however this will have no impact on the processing of your application.